This invention relates to compositions and methods for removing oily triglyceride stains from fabrics, especially cotton or cotton blend fabrics. More particularly, the invention relates to the use of mixtures of a lipase enzyme and an activator selected from the group consisting of naphthalene sulfonates, certain polyoxyalkylene derivatives of ethylenediamine and certain acylamino acid salts as pre-soaking compositions for removal of oily triglyceride stains.
Current laundry and pre-soak procedures exhibit one or more deficiencies when used to remove triglyceride stains. This is especially true in the case of hollow fibre polyester/cotton blend fabrics. Effective removal of such stains has been for the most part accomplished by means of inconvenient and expensive dry cleaning. Accordingly, an efficient, low cost process for the removal of oily triglyceride stains employing standard household laundering equipment is desirable.
The present invention employs the combination of a lipase enzyme and a lipase activator in a laundry pre-soak operation for the removal of oily triglyceride stains from fabrics. The use of lipolytic enzymes (i.e., lipases) in cleansing operations has been described in German Pat. No. 491,219; British Pat. No. 682,878; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,451,925. The co-pending applications of Storm, Ser. No. 315,031, filed Dec. 14, 1972 and Montgomery, Ser. No. 315,049, filed Dec. 14, 1972 both now abandoned disclose laundry pre-soaks containing lipase in combination with a divalent cation and/or borax salts to enhance lipase activity. The enhancing effect of natural bile salts on mixtures of lipases and surface active agents has been described by E. D. Wills, Bio. Chem. J., 60, 529 (1955), "The Effect of Surface-Active Agents on Pancreatic Lipase". Although bile salts were shown to enhance lipase-pulse-detergent hydrolysis of triglycerides, biles salts are expensive and therefore commercially unattractive.
In the present invention, improved low cost removal of oily triglyceride stains from fabrics, especially cotton blends, is obtained by the use of a lipolytic enzyme (i.e., lipases) and a synthetic lipase activator. Such activators have been found to be effective and economical substitutes for the bile lipase activators.
It is an object herein to provide improved economical compositions and methods for the removal of triglyceride stains from fabrics.
It is another object herein to provide compositions and methods for the removal of triglyceride stains from fabrics utilizing standard household laundry equipment.
These and other objects are provided for herein as will be seen from the following disclosure.